Founded: 1797 Population: 7,250 for Wayne Twp (2000 Census) and 2,558 for Waynesville Location: Warren County, Ohio
Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,558, up from 1,949 in 1990. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Route 73, is known for its antique stores, its annual sauerkraut festival. Caesar Creek State Park is located five miles east of the village.
Wayne Twp. is one of the original townships of Warren County, created on May 10, 1803, nine days after the county was established. It is located in the northeast part of the county and includes the village of Waynesville, home of the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each October. The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected to a four-year term.
Waynesville is served by the Mary L. Cook Public Library. In 2005, the library loaned more than 203,000 items to its 8,000 cardholders. Total holdings in 2005 were over 67,000 volumes with over 110 periodical subscriptions.
In the 1990's, Waynesville entered another exciting period in its history. It was a decade which saw great growth in population and in land area. In 1993, a Charter Commission was elected to write a Village Charter, and 1994 a Village Manager form of government was instituted.
The Chamber of Commerce, begun in 1968, has been a major force in the development of present day Waynesville. The retail businesses organized under the title of Waynesville Antique and Merchants Advertising Association. These three organizations formed a committee named MOMS, Maintaining Old Main Street, that was instrumental in building the public restrooms for the village in 1994 and in the renovation of the street landscape for 5 blocks of Main Street. Both of these efforts were completed without using Village of Waynesville funds.